


Simply Curious

by storiofmylife



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 08:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8049610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiofmylife/pseuds/storiofmylife
Summary: Cassandra has been avoiding the tension between herself and Iron Bull since he joined the Inquisition. After death comes too close to her and a moment of closeness to one another, perhaps it's time to explore her feelings.





	Simply Curious

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hobbitdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitdragon/gifts).



> Note: I left the Inquisitor’s gender and race neutral so you can have the type you prefer!  
> Thank you to my beta reader, [jolybird](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jolybird).

The battlefield behind the group was strewn with the man made hills of carnage and blood, but they didn’t look back. After spending hours fighting off an unhealthy combination of demons, darkspawn, and Blades of Hessarians at the Storm Coast, no one wanted anything to do with seawater or rain. Everyone was drenched from the combination of rain and wind coming off the sea.

Even the Iron Bull had no innuendos left in him to make. That’s how you knew things were tough; and they had plenty of a travel left to get back to Skyhold. Looking around her, Cassandra noted that they should take refuge before dark came. The Inquisitor noted the same, it seemed, because they motioned towards the hills that would lead up to the old Blades of Hessarian compound.

“It’s a longer walk, but it’s better than a tent in this rain,” they offered. No one had enough energy to argue, and the walk was relatively quiet. It was a rare occurrence, sure, but they all had gotten used to the moments in which there were no words to share.

At camp, each companion went off on their own. Cassandra, feeling as if her armor was heavier than normal, went immediately to an empty room and stripped down. Cold but grimy, the Seeker only briefly debated on whether to seek out a bath. Dorian had taken to helping her out with heating up water before—they often shared a preference for cleanliness. He always defended, “Hygiene affects everyone around a person.”

He was right, so she donned a cloak and grabbed a spare change of clothes and sought him out. Glancing outside, she noted the Iron Bull talking with Krem and the Inquisitor. Instead of sating her curiosity, she walked under as much of the wooden awnings as possible to avoid the rain. The door to the baths wasn’t locked so she assumed they were empty.

However, Dorian was already there, eyes closed, settled into one of the hot baths. He only peeked one eye open at her, “I’ve set one ready for you, my dear.” The kindness towards one another was usually hidden, except for moments such as that.

The makeshift bathroom was one part cloth, another part leftover boat from the shore. Considering how often they seemed to be going to the Storm Coast, the Inquisitor thought it best to make improvements on the camp. Cassandra didn’t disagree but she would prefer to not have anything to do with the area; there were far more appealing places to go to. 

Cassandra didn’t hesitate to get into the bath, letting out a sigh as she slid into the hot water, “This is lovely.”

“I agree, Seeker.” He passed her a bar of soap, which she held underwater a few moments before getting the energy to try and get the grime off her skin. “Today was certainly close.”

She nodded, “It was. Though, at least, we won’t have to worry about those Hessarians coming back. With the Inquisition at this camp, they may be too afraid to try and take it back.”

“Another day. Another villain crippled. Another coating of dirt.” Their mingled laughter filled the room.

Ten minutes later and Cassandra exited the baths freshly cleaned and clothed. Deciding against her armor for the night—or at least a few hours—she noted that the rain was only a drizzling now. After placing her things back in her makeshift room, the Seeker sat under an awning on a row of barrels. The silence was welcome after the long day they had. Her body ached with the force she had to swing her sword and shield.

She had been trained to withstand a lot, but with their recent travelling schedule and increase of enemies, even she had a limit. Every one of the Inquisition did, she mentally noted.

Glancing around, she took to looking at the stars in the night sky. Only some of the clouds and fog blocked her view and, as usual, the Lady Seeker felt her mind drift off into various thoughts. As she thought over the recent book Varric had suggested for her, she noted Iron Bull ducking under the awning and leaning back against the wall beside her.

More than once, he’d caught her observing him. She, ever resilient, never denied his accusations, but also never gave him what he sought out. Levelheadedness was a priority above all else. Though she wouldn’t deny that a part of her deep down didn’t imagine the possibilities of falling into the flirtations they held.

“Pondering thoughts under the stars, Seeker?” His voice was gruff against the drizzle around them.

“Simply thinking, Bull.”

There was a brief silence before, “Today was certainly close.”

Cassandra shrugged, running a finger under her braid before tugging it down and over her shoulder. She wasn’t really sure why she continued to keep a small portion of her hair longer, but it had suit her for the time being. Leliana often inquired about it herself.

“No different than any other day.”

He made a grunting noise, “Still seemed too close than my personal liking. I’ve talked with the Boss about not running into an open field when darkspawn and demons have been spotted.”

“Still nervous around demons, Bull?” She let her playful and relaxed tone come out.

“That shit isn’t normal. Give me an army triple our size with a dragon or two. Not some damn demons.” Her eyes followed his hand down to the burnt skin on his arm.

“You should have Dorian heal that.”

“I was, then I saw you both enter the baths.” There was a slight bite to his tone and if they hadn’t been spending so much time together, Cassandra might not have heard it.

That made her tilt her head to fully look at him. “Are you jealous?”

He was silent, staring up at the stars, before looking right at her, “Simply curious.” The rest of their time was silent as she wondered on what he was really admitting to. Iron Bull had a habit of divulging too much or not enough information depending on the day. It was utterly frustrating to someone like herself who needed precise information.

In fact, Cassandra didn’t think on it much further until nearly a week later when they finally arrived back at Skyhold. After spending all morning and afternoon catching up on some training and general upkeep, Cassandra wandered into The Herald’s Rest for a pint. She didn’t regularly drink, but she had felt a need to wind down. What she got was anything but that, however.

As per usual, Iron Bull and the Chargers were there, along with Varric and the Inquisitor. Cassandra envied their leader who always seemed to have no time, but still managed to connect with the rest of the Inquisition. Sliding onto a stool by the bar, the warrior was passed a pint quicker than she thought possible with how busy it was.

She had been listening to one of the soldier’s tales of their latest scouting mission when Iron Bull’s voice grabbed from the back of her mind.

“Aren’t you bored sitting there on your own?” She nearly thought he was speaking to her, but as she turned towards him, she noted he was talking closely with one of the barmaids. Her frown returned as the small young woman leaned even closer to him.

A few minutes later and they were walking out together. The furrow of her brow stuck with her even after the door closed.

“Who do you want to kill now, Seeker?” Varric’s voice jabbed into her thoughts.

“No one.”

“Certainly doesn’t seem like no one. Your brow is extra furrowy tonight.”

Her eyes glared at him, “I highly doubt that’s a word, Varric.”

“It is when I use it.” He only paused a moment, “Especially when I use it with you in mind.” She didn’t bother to grace him with any response. Taking that as a sign to sit beside her, he climbed up onto a stool and finished off one pint, ordering a second.

Meanwhile, Cassandra was wondering what it was that bothered her so much about Iron Bull…being Iron Bull. A fresh pint ended up in front of her, as Varric smirked in the corner of her eye.

Two hours later, they were walking the battlements together, their stances substantially relaxed.

“I see you writing all the time, Varric, how is it that the next book isn’t finished?”

He let out a laugh, “Cassandra there are more stories in my head than you give me credit for.” Her expression turned thoughtful at that. “For example, the story of you and the Iron Bull will make a best seller one day.”

“We don’t have a story.” She was more confused than offended.

Another round of low rumbles came from his throat, “I beg to differ.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

They stopped to look down at the garden. “Let me put it this way, Cass. You can either waste everyone’s time, especially your own, ignoring that you feel some sort of attraction for him. Or you can woman up and bed him already.”

The sense of propriety that she usually held was wavering that night so she didn’t recoil at his words. “There is no attraction there.”

“Just as there was none between Krem and Dorian.”

“They are…different.”

“That’s bullshit.” Varric didn’t seem to want to hear her excuses, and if there was ever a person who could pull information from Cassandra, it was Varric. “I’m not here to push you into something you’re not ready for, but his forwardness is no game. He’s Qunari.”

She wasn’t sure what to respond with, so she kept quiet as they continued on their walk back to their quarters. Cassandra spent most of the night in bed thinking about what it could mean for her to fall into the attraction she felt towards Iron Bull. She didn’t often feel this way about others, she was much too dedicated to her work for that. Still though, Varric’s words fluttered through her brain long into the afternoon which found her mindlessly training in her usual spot. She didn’t spot Iron Bull as he came upon her on his way from the keep.

“A little weak for your standards, isn’t it, Cassandra?” She snapped to his gaze and then back to the dummy that wasn’t as bent up as it usually was with her training. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep for her to be in top form. That made her frown even more. “Catching a cold? If you have a fever, I know of a way to help counteract it. Learned it from a Tamassran.”

Normally, Cassandra would either glare or strike back with her own words. Instead, she did neither; instead she stared at him. Both of them seemed thrown off by that and she glanced around them, noting no one was in listening view—at least no one who wouldn’t filtered their information through Leliana first. “I am perfectly healthy.”

“Are you?”

“What do you mean?”

He took a step closer, “I mean…you took a hard blow at the Storm Coast. We had a long journey back here.” She noted he didn’t call Skyhold home. She supposed he had a home outside the Inquisition, she certainly didn’t. Not anymore.

“I’m fine, Bull.” She didn’t quite like how close he was getting to her now, and he was aware of it. He was a skilled Ben-Hassrath—the best that she’s ever encountered.

“Are you?” he repeated again. This time she opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t think of anything to say. Physically speaking, she was fine; tired, but fine. Emotionally, however, she was confused. It was only made worse with the closer he got to her proximity. She could now smell the muskiness that made up the Iron Bull and the way he looked at her, Cassandra was perplexed. Their gazes met and her heart began to stutter. She was a tough woman, closed off, but she was still a woman and she had a deep rooted romantic heart. At some point, Iron Bull had figured that out and he had once remarked that he could be romantic when prompted to.

“I am now.” She wasn’t sure what her meaning was, but he seemed resolved at that. “What has you so worried suddenly?”

This time he was the one with the frown, though she could tell it wasn’t directed at her. “It’s not as sudden as you would think.” If she could move, Cassandra’s body would have taken a step back—or several maybe.

“What?”

“My Lady Seeker…have I thrown you off guard?” He had a tone of smugness but also wariness.

Steeling herself, she put on an indifferent expression, “No. I simply…” She was unsure how to proceed.

“Prove it then.” They were back to how they usually were, challenging one another. The stakes, this time, were far higher than they ever had been. She was a tall woman, partly because of her natural height but also because of how she held herself. This height proved helpful as she stopped thinking altogether and rose to his challenge. Gripping the strap of his armor, she pulled him closer as she moved towards him and collided her lips against his. He wasted no time in placing a hand on the small of her back. Though just as quickly as she started their kiss, she ended it, remembering where they were and how fast things traveled around Skyhold. He took a slow breath in, looking down at her, “That certainly proved some things.”

Cassandra was fighting to get control of her emotions and body. “What’s that?”

“You are a better kisser, Cassandra, than I imagined.” He’d never called her by her first name so casually before, it was pleasing to hear. Especially when his voice had gone down an octave or two. At his response, she couldn’t help the laugh that came from her tingling lips.

His eye went down to them as she spoke, “Thank you, Bull.”

He stepped closer, “Shall we continue this somewhere more private?” There was something about the way he said a very similar phrase to the barmaid last night that had her pull away. She wasn’t one to have unattached sex—not anymore, not after all that she’d seen. As Iron Bull was about to continue on, noticing her change, Cassandra spoke up.

Her accent was thicker than it usually was, but she was very concise with her wording. “Bull, I know what I want. I am past the age of bedding men with no connection that I work with. It is a needless distraction when battle comes.” He made to speak but she gave him one look and he shut his lips. “If you want more, you will have to earn it from me. I am no woman to take for granted.” He tilted his head slightly and stared down at her.

His face was filled with thoughtfulness before he gave her a large smirk. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen that look directed at her before. “Like the dragons you were raised to strike down, Lady Cassandra, you are just as divine.” The compliment calmed her, but he continued, “You most certainly are not to be taken for granted. I promise you that.” She wasn’t sure what he meant until he closed the distance between them again, only grazing his lips against hers lightly, hand on her back, before pulling away. “I will find you this evening to prove so.”

With no other word, he walked away leaving her there to ponder what he meant. Now, she was a different type of frustrated that she’d never known before. The reminder of his lips stuck with her after he left and she gave up on trying to fight the dummy in front of her. Tossing back some hair that had fallen into her face, she sought out one person who could help her understand what had happened: Varric.

The conversation with the dwarf only further agitated her and after speaking with Leliana, though that was unintentional, Cassandra felt even more confused than she had been before. Yet, as their opinions on the matter flowed freely in her mind, she couldn’t help but feel her own bullheadedness, no pun intended, bust through. What should she be ashamed of? The others around her managed to find companionship where they could, regardless of the difficulties to come. Why couldn’t she? She spent so much time devoting herself to her causes, and the people she believed in, didn’t she deserve a piece of that happiness, too?

In the words of Varric, she should, “Take the Bull by the horns and ride him.” Though, the innuendo was still too much for her to handle. It was with that thought that caught her staring at a tapestry in the main hall, deep in a concern of just how they could work. She was no healer or surgeon, anatomy wasn’t her strong suit, unless she needed to stab something. How would they even—?

“Deep in thought again, Lady Cassandra?” His voice blasted through her mental strain and she turned towards him swiftly. “You seem to do that a lot more than usual.” Still she kept her mouth shut. No one, aside from Divine Justinia, had made her feel so…frail. It felt like she was back home, young and naïve, flustered around a suitor who was quick with his tongue. That thought only led to a slight blush forming on her tan skin, and that irked her.

“You found me.” Her voice was far more resolute that it had been before and, now that he was in front of her, Cassandra remembered how it felt to be kissed by him.

“I did.”

“Would you care to explain--?”

He cut her off, placing a hand on the small of her back again, “In due time, Seeker. For now, come with me.” He gave her a slight push on her back to get her moving and directed her through Skyhold. As they got closer to her own quarters, she glanced up at him with a questioning gaze. He merely glanced down at her, shook his head, and continued them further. When they did enter her room, a strange smell of violets caught her senses. It filled the room, and all the stress she had about what they were going to do was wafted away from the floral scent. He opened the bathroom door and inside she noted her bath was steaming warm, candles all about.

“What’s this Bull?” Her voice was perhaps the softest it’s ever been towards him.

He stared down at her for a few seconds before responding, “Proving to you what I said earlier.” She could think of nothing to respond with. “So I had the staff help me set up a bath for you. I know how you like those.”

“Bull…” She trailed off as she turned to look at him fully. They were at a point in which she was unsure how to proceed. Her eyes trailed to his lips, then back to his eye, which was assessing her with the same focus he gave all his fighting.

“I’m here to help you relax. Any means necessary.” Somehow, he managed to make his innuendo enticing to her and she took a step closer to him, signifying that she wasn’t going to move away. She had already taken off her outer armor during supper, which left her feeling a bit vulnerable. “What say you, Cass? Shall I stay and help?”

“Is that what you want?”

“For starters? Yes.”

Her own slight smirk appeared and he took that as a sign to progress further. Stepping forward, her chest now resting against his, Iron Bull pulled her against him tighter before leaning down to kiss her. He was intoxicating, almost as if she had never been fulfilled before from just a kiss. It felt right and she had no intentions of backing down now. Without her being aware, he had managed to loosen the ties of her clothing and her top fell to the floor behind her. Next was her bottoms as her own fingers worked on the strap of his armor. There was satisfaction in her expression as he seemed oblivious to her own progress. Stepping out of her pants, Cassandra hesitated only slightly with anticipation before pressing herself against him. They both sighed at the feeling of her skin touching his, and as his armor fell to the floor, her hands ran along whatever grey skin they could.

His own hands softly ran against all the skin they could. There was tenderness but strength in his fingers that showed itself when he grabbed her arse and lifted her against him; lips never parting from hers. It was then that she felt the hardness against her core. At first she was aroused even more, trying to press her hips further towards him, but then a doubt creeped back into her mind. It made her pull away, resting her forehead against his. His eye gazed into hers, waiting for a sign from her.

“Bull, I don’t…” She felt embarrassed on trying to finish her worrying thought. He placed her down onto the ground gently, hands resting on her waist. She tried to ignore the way his fingers trailing against one of her scars felt. “I’m unsure how…”

It must have been a common topic for him because he simply shook his head, “There are more than a few ways I can please you, Cass.”

“But what about—.”

“We don’t have to.”

“But I would like to. Or at least return the favor.” He smirked slightly down at her.

“We can work up to that. When you’re ready to try. Tonight, however, is me proving a point.” He tugged her against him, “Let me take care of you.” She nodded only once, but he had been paying attention to her and caught it. Together they began to walk further towards the bath, still hot thanks to some of Dorian’s magic, and he stripped her of the last of her undergarments. 

Cassandra was not afraid to be so bare in front of him, not with the promise that the bath and the Iron Bull held. As she began to dip her foot into the water, testing its temperature, his voice vibrated against the spot just below her ear, “Seeing you like this, and what you’ll be like after I’m done with you tonight, will certainly be returning the favor, Lady Seeker.”

She didn’t bother to hide the shiver that went right down her spine, centering at the apex of her thighs. She shakily stepped into the bath, mentally grateful that he still had his hands on her hips. Her breath was uneven as she sunk into the warm water, the scent of violets forgotten the longer he was near her.


End file.
